The training of Ulrich

Ulrich thinks this over. "So, if magi don't like the rules in a Tribunal, and they don't have any luck getting the rules changed there, they can start a new Tribunal with rules they do like?" He thinks a bit more. "Is starting a new Tribunal really any easier than changing the rules in the old one?"

"Wouldn't it make more sense for Guernicus to spread out more?"

"Lucky," Ulrich mutters almost under his breath. (ooc – for some reason I picture Tria as looking something like this)

"But not if there are Regios between magic trees, or magic groves."

"We will find out in 6 years" Korvin says with a smile.

"Why is that?"

"Well," Ulrich says as he goes to a blackboard or tablet or some such and doodles. "If I understand right,all the redcaps are in one place, and they have to go to each of the covenants in turn, like so," indicating his craptacular sketch on the board.

"Whereas, if the redcaps were spread out more, they wouldn't have so far to go to deliver messages from one covenant to the other, something like this," and doodles something else.

"See what I mean?"

(yes, I cannot draw for crap, especially on a laptop...don't judge :laughing: )

[ooc: I never understood the question of Ginger or Mary Ann, I mean it is only Mary Ann. Even the question of Ginger and Mary Ann is...questionable. :laughing: ]

I'd like to see all Ulrich's stuff posted here, as far as his season activities, etc. I want to keep a careful watch on him and see how he develops.

Okay. Let's see....for 1221:

  • Spring: Learning Magic Theory from Fiona. Source Quality 16.
  • Summer: Spending the season with Korvin, for 8xp, pending approval on how they're spent.
  • Autumn: Studying at Valnastium, don't know what book we decided to stick under his nose.
  • Winter: Studying Unifying Principles of Our Magic: SQ 17.

Haven't made any plans for him for 1222 yet, I figured somebody would find something for him to do.

In absence of a demurral, assume I respond in the affirmative. That's fine.

Refresh my memory, my PMs aren't going that far back. I thought we'd had something selected for him...

Ah...apparently we had, and I either missed it or thought it was referring to Fiona.

So, a Great Works of Source Quality 12, then? or 12+his InHe Spont CS, which would be 16?

Autumn of 1221, Ulrich spent studying the Gardens of Valnastium, a [i]de facto[i] Herbam Great Works with an effective Source Quality of 12.

With his Affinity and Puissance, this increases his Herbam score to 9+3.

Also, since he's now 14 (in 1222), he has his adult Characteristics scores: Int +2, Per +1, Pre +1, Com +1, Str 0, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qui 0. ([color=green]"Check it out, girls: Dex +1 and Sta +2! You interested?")

I've actually been thinking about Ulrich's future the last couple of days, and how 5e handles apprentice training. Or doesn't, as the case may be.

Technically, Ulrich is Tria ex Bonisagus's apprentice, and is being fostered to Apollodorus. But I would have no problem with him being Laetitia's apprentice. (In fact, I think he would love it, what with his combination of Venus's Blessing and Lecherousness, and her combination of high Presence and Venus's Blessing.) He currently has six Virtues and Flaws, so he has four slots available in addition to his free Puissant Intrigue that he would get as a political Bonisagus (as is his dominae).

His original character sheet (when he was Silviatos's apprentice) had the Virtues Inoffensive to Animals, Study Bonus, and Diedne Magic, and the Flaws Dark Secret (Diedne Lineage), Deleterious Circumstances (in cities), and Twilight Prone, in addition to the V/F that he currently has now. The set that he had when I made him fit the character concept that I originally had as Silviatos's apprentice, since they reflected his former master and what I understood of his Lineage to some degree.

Things have changed, however, and I'm not sure that I would choose the same set of Virtues and Flaws for Ulrich the future Bonisagus as I had for Ulrich the future Ex Misc.

All that being said, how does a character get new virtues and flaws in apprenticeship? I'm assuming that he will still need to be balanced vis-a-vis Virtues and Flaws at gauntlet. I have a vague long-term vision (of him becoming a Bonisagus Trianomae, at least as much as anyone with Sheltered Upbringing can be...that is, no Winston Churchill, but no Neville Chamberlain either).

I'm also pretty open-minded with whatever he's taught be whomever, or whatever assignments or work he may be given...as long as it's not wiping anybody's catatonic mother's bum. :smiley: After all, he is a "mere" apprentice. Since he's being fostered by/to Apollodorus, though, I would assume that he would have the final say on what Ulrich does or does not.

Also, he was apprenticed in 1217, as near as I can recall, so he has about eleven more years in his apprenticeship.

Well, I imagine that Hermetic virtues and flaws get Initiated through House Lore. Whereas the other ones get picked up during seasons of adventuring?

If something doesn't make sense, I'm fine with that. If you want him to be a Trianomae, we can do that, too. I'm flexible since things changed quite a bit. I would like to find him a formal master/apprentice relationship. I would prefer that be with someone at Mons Electi. If that can't/doesn't happen, Tria will end up asserting her rights to him in about 6 years.

Again, Viscaria could take him, but the boy's got no skills that would appeal to the Verditian lifestyle.

This fits in well with my concept of Theraphosa as an Intrigue-Spider, and sets us up for potentially intriguing (pun intended) sub plots for life in Bibracte, as Theraphosa teaches Ulrich how to manipulate others to do what he wants, initially using him as a catspaw until the student exceeds the master.

Or something like that?

So, JL and I have been talking a bit about Ulrich and his future here. We both agree that we would much prefer that he would stay here than go elsewhere and vanish/become NPC/what have you.

Ulrich was originally created to be the apprentice for Silviatos, before zlorfik disappeared during the First Council thread.

He hasn't seen a whole lot of action since then (although he got frustratingly close with Thera during The Fall of Night, and now that Fiona's back he's willing to give it another swing). After Silviatos left, he was claimed by Tria and was fostered to Apollodorus, who decided that he would basically let the covenant train him. So far, though, it's been basically Fiona. Which is too bad, because Fiona can't take him as an apprentice (there's a reason her tradition is called "The Daughters of Circe").

So. We've decided that, if someone wants to take him as an apprentice, it would be acceptable to shuffle some of his Characteristics, Arts, V&F around. Basically bringing him in as a semi-new character as far as creation goes. The reason he has what he has, for the most part, is because zlorfik and I worked together to get an acceptable apprentice, and I'm willing to do the same thing again. The only things that are immutable are his Rego score (since he was taught by Apollodorus), his Venus's Blessing/Lecherous combo. His Affinity with Rego should probably stay, too.

I know Arya, The Fixer, and amul have expressed an interest.

  • For Laetitia, his characteristics are fluid, if you want to jigger his Perception and Communication. His Deft Form could come in handy for a Quaesitor-type, too.
  • Isen, he currently has the Sheltered Upbringing Flaw, so he's probably not as good at interacting with people as others his age would be.
  • Viscaria, don't forget that whittling is an ancient and time-honored craft :stuck_out_tongue:. We can probably shuffle some of his xp around if you feel he needs some "legitimate" Craft skills.

So, if anybody wants to take Ulrich as an apprentice (and not just the above three), talk to me, we can work something out.

Ulrich is old enough that he should be gauntleted before either of her children would be ready to begin training, if either ends up Gifted. But Laetitia would not be interested in investing time training an apprentice who would bear the name of a maga who never spent a single season teaching him anything. She would take him as an apprentice if he would be HER apprentice.

My understanding is that he would belong to whomever of you that takes him, and not to Tria; she would basically (for lack of a better word) sell him to the new master.

I only got Dues Ex Machina with Ulrich because of a potentially problematic player inflicting his bad sense of humor on others. I wasn't interested in stories where Ulrich would have to collect stool samples or other ridiculous exercises/punishments. The fosterage agreement is similar to the one written for Abigail. It's a fosterage in perpetuity where the master magus is relinquishing the rights and responsibilities of having apprentice to another magus for the period of apprenticeship. Tria would only become Ulrich's master in situations of heinous abuse or failing to teach as prescribed by the code. On the day before gauntlet the apprentice ownership is transferred and he gauntlets with his true master.

So, forex, if Laetitia takes him, she would be his de facto master, but technically he would still belong to Tria until the day before his Gauntlet, at which time Tria would sign him over to Laetitia so he could undergo the Guernicus Gauntlet?

Yup, that's pretty much it. I'd had plans for someone, anyone taking Abigail at some point. Ulrich's contract is identical to Abigail's. Ra'am and Tria worked this out long ago. I figured someone would have concerns with taking a Gifted daughter from a Bonisagus...what's the prevent him from coming back and demanding her later on? A situation with Ulrich developed before someone went searching for an apprentice, so I threw the contract into play there. The fostering magus will only break the contract by heinous treatment, and while it is defined in the contract, we'll leave it unspecific for play, but it's what a reasonable person would expect. The master without the apprentice may only take the apprentice back if the fostering master has violated the contract. I'm not going to get hyper-technical here, but the contract was originally designed to allay concerns that I might take an apprentice back. I saw the other use when Victor Sim was possibly coming into the saga.